Federal officials tag drug package in Alaska, make arrests

Federal officials placed an electronic alerting and tracking device inside the package and waited for it to be

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Two people in Alaska who handled a drug package after it was spotted in the mailing process and then tagged by federal officials have been arrested.

Christian John Peters, 44, and Tiffany Jo Spaulding, 34, were arraigned on Thursday in U.S. District Court after a multi-agency warrant search of their house, The Juneau Empire reported (http://bit.ly/2vZ5LX0 ).

U.S. Postal Service Inspector Aaron Behnen came across a suspicious package from California on Aug. 6, he said. It was sent to "Rosetta Stone" at the suspects' address and contained a large canister of coffee filled with 50 pills identified as oxycodone and 221 grams of suspected methamphetamine.

Federal officials placed an electronic alerting and tracking device inside the package and waited for it to be opened.

After the mail worker knocked on the door, Spaulding retrieved the package and went inside, according to the complaint. Peters arrived about 15 minutes later and the electronic monitoring device alerted the investigators that the parcel had been opened about an hour after that.

The warrant was then executed, and Peters and Spaulding were taken into custody.

Spaulding told investigators that her neighbor, identified only as Mark, told her that narcotics were being shipped to the house and that she was expected to give it to him when it arrived. She told investigators that she notified Mark and Peters, and then saw Peters open the parcel and the coffee container, removing a bundle from the inside.

Peters said that he had no knowledge of the contents of the parcel and opened it out of curiosity.

A subsequent search of the residence uncovered a digital scale and a suspected drug ledger, suspected meth and marijuana, bags and drug paraphernalia including pipes and needles and a recording system for security cameras at the residence.